AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry is defending the rights of states, such as Colorado and Washington, to legalize marijuana, and he said Thursday that Texas has taken steps toward decriminalizing the drug.

Perry was on a panel discussing drug laws that included former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Annan and Santos said drug laws had proved ineffective and had made criminals out of generations of young people, as well as helped empower drug cartels.

Perry said he doesn’t believe in legalizing certain drugs, according to an account of the panel by U.S. News & World Report. But Perry also emphasized that he is a staunch believer in states’ rights on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization.

“States should be allowed to make those decisions,” he said.

Perry said that Texas has begun to “implement policies that start us toward a decriminalization” of marijuana. He cited specialized drug courts that offer treatment instead of jail time and the reduction of penalties for minor drug offenses.

The governor’s spokesman, Lucy Nashed, sidestepped questions about whether Perry supported decriminalizing marijuana in Texas — where having or selling small amounts are misdemeanors — saying only that drug courts have worked in Texas and should be an example to other states and countries.

“He’s very much for rehabbing and a diversionary program [rather] than sending people directly to jail,” Nashed said. “This is for nonviolent offenders and, for a lot of circumstances, it’s the right policy.”

The governor said he doubted Texas would legalize pot anytime soon.

“We certainly would never jump out in front of the parade,” Perry said, according to U.S. News.

Perry’s ability to push for a major policy change is limited at this point. He’s leaving office after this year, and the Legislature isn’t scheduled to meet again in his tenure.

During his four days in Switzerland, Perry has been meeting with entrepreneurs, heads of state and other luminaries. He’s posted pictures of himself on Twitter with computer company president Michael Dell, former presidential candidate and publishing executive Steve Forbes, and Santos.

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